Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor & more – Indiana’s Brass Rail

If you were in Fort Wayne, Indiana on April 19, 2013, I hope you were at the Brass Rail. If you weren’t, you missed a great triple-bill psychedelic rock show.

First up was the Detroit psych-rock trio Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor (www.sistersofyoursunshinevapor.com). I’ve been a fan of theirs since I saw them open for the Black Angels in 2010. It is tempting to say SOYSV (Sean Morrow – guitar / vocals, Eric Oppitz – bass / organ, Richard Sawoscinski – drums) sound like Pink Floyd got their peanut butter on the Doors’ chocolate to make a great new treat, but that does SOYSV a bit of a disservice. They sound like three guys (who are quite nice, by the way) who love not only psychedelic rock but swampy blues and surf rock as well. They won many new fans at the Brass Rail (including my niece, who went ga-ga for them) and floored me when they drifted from “Black Mind” (the second track off their last album – Spectra Spirit) into a stunning, wild cover of the Velvet Underground’s “Run Run Run.”

Following them were their fellow tour mates, the Holydrug Couple (theholydrugcouple.bandcamp.com). I had no idea there was a psychedelic rock scene in Santiago, Chile, but it is booming (both in terms of its scope and its volume) if these guys are any indication. Ives Sepulveda (guitar) and Manuel Parra (drums), along with a friendly chap on bass whose name I didn’t catch, laid down dreamy space rock that caught everyone’s attention. Sepulveda can shred, grind, and freak out on guitar all at once. He reminded me of a shorter, younger, Chilean version of Robin Trower. They were also good joes and happy that some goofy American wanted them to sign his tour poster.

Ending the night was Heaven’s Gateway Drugs (heavensgatewaydrugs.com). HGD (C. Ray Harvey – guitar / vocals, Derek Mauger – guitar / vocals, Josh Elias – bass, Eric Frank – drums, Ben Carr – percussion) are a Ft. Wayne band that seems destined to explode onto the national scene. I didn’t know the Fort was birthing psych bands, especially ones this good. It was the band’s CD release party, so there was a big, wild hometown crowd there for them. They put on a wild set and played their entire record, You Are Heaven’s Gateway Drugs. I don’t think they held anything back, especially by the time they got to the last track, “Turncoat,” and Eric Frank’s drum kit was in shambles and he had crowd surfed to the bar and back.

Yep. You missed a good one if you weren’t there.

~ Nik Havert

Nik Havert is a writer, DJ, harmonica player, martial arts instructor, comic book publisher, crime fighter,music lover, cult movie enthusiast, and modern day Renaissance man. He hopes to shark cage dive sometime in the next few years and enjoys travel and good natural root beer.

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